So I went to the Farmer’s Market this past Saturday with my parents. There I scored a large bag of fresh arugula for $3 and a pint of fresh tomatoes for $2. I mean the prices were great for the amount of produce I got. Well needless to say I decided to use the arugula and tomatoes in the salad that I served along with pan roasted chicken and green beans. The salad was simple and delicious. It highlighted all the fresh ingredients that I got at the Farmer’s Market. The warm goat cheese was the perfect balance and added creaminess to the slightly spicy arugula. This salad was the perfect complement to the pan roasted chicken thighs. The skin came out nice and crispy, just the way I like it. Now I did a quick butter baste before putting the chicken in the oven and I feel like that a difference in the chicken being juicy and tender on the inside.

Finally on to the green beans. Now a friend of mine at work gave me a large bag full of fresh green beans from her garden. I was so excited when I saw the bag because it meant that I could make my favorite and simple green bean salad multiple times in the upcoming week. Now this recipe is very easy to put together as all you have to do is steam the green beans quickly and mix with the simple dressing. It is a great side dish and easy to make while cooking other things, in this case while the chicken is in the oven.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 40 MInutes if making all the elements

Servings: 2

Pan Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Thighs

1 Teaspoon of Salt

1 Teaspoon of Pepper

1 Tablespoon of Vegetable Oil

2 Tablespoons of Butter

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Place the vegetable oil and heat over medium high heat in a large pan. The oil should be what they refer to as ‘shimmering’ before you add the chicken thighs. This usually takes about 5 minutes or so. While the oil is heating up take the chicken thighs and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Once heated up at the chicken thighs to the pan skin side down. There should be an audible sizzle when you add the chicken. Cook the chicken skin side down for 8 minutes. Make sure to shake the pan every so often to prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan.

Then take the two tablespoons of butter and put into the pan. Now here comes the part where you need to put for a few minutes over the pan. The butter should melt and start foaming. Tip the pan slightly towards you so that the foaming butter all comes to one side of the pan. Take a large spoon and ladle the foaming butter over each piece of the chicken repeatedly until the butter has stopped foaming, about 3-4 minutes.

Finally take the chicken and place it in an over proof dish. Place in the oven for 25 minutes with the skin side facing up. Flip the chicken once halfway through cooking. Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.

While the chicken is in the oven you can prepare the rest of the meal.

Arugula Salad With Roasted Tomatoes and Warm Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

6 Cherry tomatoes

1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

1/2 Teaspoon of black pepper

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar

2 Cups of Arugula, coarsely chopped

8 Ounces of Goat Cheese, cut in half

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Take the tomatoes and place them in an oven proof dish. Season with salt, pepper and olive oil. Put in the oven for 20 minutes on the top rack (Since the pan roasted chicken goes in the oven at the same temperature for almost the same amount of time I put my tomatoes in while the chicken was cooking. This saves so much time in the cooking process).

Once the tomatoes come out of the oven toss them with the balsamic vinegar. Place the arugula in a bowl and take the tomatoes and the juices and toss together thoroughly.

Next take the coat cheese and place on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler on high for 4 minutes or until it starts to melt and is warm. Finally take the arugula and tomato mixture and split between two plates and place the warm goat cheese in the middle and enjoy.

Green Beans with Red Wine Vinegar Dressing

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of fresh green beans, trimmed

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped

1/4 Cup of Red Wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Tablespoon of Salt

1/2 Tablespoon of Black Pepper

1/4 Teaspoon of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Directions:

Take the green beans and place in a small saucepan and cover with water. Place on a burner over high heat until it begins to boil, about 4-5 minutes. Then lower heat to simmer and cook the green beans for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain the green beans.

Place the green beans in a bowl. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. While the green beans are cooling mix together the Red Wine Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar, Salt, Black Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes and garlic together in a small bowl. Once the green beans have cooled add the Red Wine Vinegar mixture with green beans and mix together thoroughly.

Enjoy immediately and try and tell me you did not go back for seconds from this delicious dish. Yes, it is that good.

Today I decided to make a Green Juice. I decided to go the non-traditional route on making it. Now the ingredients I put in the juice taste delicious together, but might not be for everyone. The juice has a slight onion taste from the scallions that I added and then has a sweet pineapple finish. Now if you are not a fan of onions, I would omit the scallions.

Here is what I put into the juicer:

3 Large Handfuls of Kale

1/8 of a Cup of Fresh Parsley

1 Cara Cara Navel Orange

1 Cup of Pineapple pieces

3 Stalks of Celery

1 Inch Sliver of Fresh Ginger

Half a Lemon, rind removed

Put all the ingredients in the juicer and voila out comes this delicious juice. I find that by putting the Kale and Parsley in the chute first and then a heavier object like the Navel Orange it helps to make the items move easier through the juicer.

Let me know what your thoughts are about this juice. Would you drink it? Are there any other combinations that you think would be good? Let me know I would love to hear them.

So I got a Breville Juicer for Christmas. I had been wanting one for quite some time. Now that I have one I love it and can’t imagine why I never bit the bullet and bought one for myself sooner. Now I have had a couple of not so great juicing experiences. Like the time I decided to try and add random vegetables I had in the refrigerator and see how it came out. Let’s just say the combination of celery, baby spinach, half a cucumber and some radishes had a not very pleasant odor and did not taste that great. Since then I have been scouring the web for ideas of different combinations I could potentially combine. Well I have found that adding fruit makes the juice taste delicious. I made apple juice that I found out if you do not want it to turn my brown you add lemon juice to it. Some of the combinations I have tried are two apples, two oranges, three handfuls of kale and four strawberries. That seems to be my go to as that is what I had on hand this week. It does not look that appealing but it tastes delicious. I also did pomegranate, half a cucumber, an orange and kale and that tasted great as well.
Now since I am new to juicing does anyone have any recommendations on what combinations to try that they enjoy? I have heard that adding a tiny bit of ginger and some herbs like mint and basil taste great as well.Also I have seen a few recipes online where the juicer was used to make salsa and some few kinds of soup. Has anyone done this with any success?

So I have a couple of questions that I would like to get people’s opinions on. I understand that people are very particular about their mashed potatoes. This could be what potatoes to use, leave the skin on or take it off, what ingredients to add, or how to mash them up.

Now personally I am partial to using mostly Russet potatoes and yes I do leave the skin on. Now what potatoes do others prefer for making mashed potatoes? Next I do leave the skin on when I make mashed potatoes, what are people’s opinion on that?

Next we come to the ingredients questions. This is where I feel that almost all potato recipes are different, they all use slightly different ingredients. Now I usually use two tablespoons of butter and half a cup of either milk or cream. I also always add scallions/green onions to my mashed potatoes. I also feel that salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika are must use spices. What are some of the things that you use in your mashed potatoes?

The last topic I have found creates the most discussion amongst myself and people I have over for dinner who see me making my mashed potatoes. Yes I do have a ricer (which I have only used once by the way for some reason) and I have a masher as well. But I always put my hot, just out of the pot, potatoes in a large bowl and mash them with the end of a heavy glass from the cabinet. I know I know what you are thinking, why? Well I remember my grandmother doing it that way. Also for some reason I think they have the best flavor when they are mashed that way. They still have some small lumps in them but are smooth and all the ingredients get mixed throughout. I have been told by a friend that they reminded him of his grandmother’s as well, which I take as a compliment. So what do you use to mash your potatoes? Do you like them very smooth with no lumps or are some small lumps okay?

I want to know everyone’s thoughts and opinions on the mashed potato questions I asked or if you have something that you want to share that I didn’t touch upon, don’t hesitate. I look forward to hearing your responses.

This recipe is quick and easy to make. It can be used as a side dish or eaten as a light meal. Personally I like to eat it as a light meal as it is delicious and very filling.

Ingredients:

2 cups of uncooked couscous

3 cups of water

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of pepper

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/4 cup of white cooking wine

2 zucchini

8 ounce package of mushrooms

1 onion

6.5 ounce jar of chopped artichoke hearts

First we are going to prepare all the vegetables as the couscous cooks rather quickly. Take the zucchini and quarter and chopped them both. Next take the mushroom and pull out the stem and chopped them into small pieces. Finally dice the onion. Now with the artichokes all you are going to want to do is drain the juice from the jar and take out the artichoke heart pieces.

Next heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Next add all the vegetables to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Next add the white cooking wine to the pan. Cover and let cook for 10-12 minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking heat the 3 cups of water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the water has begun to boil add the couscous, butter and one tablespoon of salt. Cover and remove the pan from heat. Let it stand for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork.

Remove the vegetables from the heat and combine it with the couscous in a large bowl. If you like you can add some parmesan cheese to the dish. Serve immediately.

I made this recipe over the weekend and it came out so good. I really like the taste of the smoked mozzarella and the eggplant together. I did have to go to a couple of stores to find smoked mozzarella (I ended up finding it in the cheese section at Stop & Shop) but it was worth locating it. I have also included a recipe to make a simple tomato sauce to use in the dish, but you could use any store bought tomato sauce (although I don’t think it will taste as good).

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

4 tablespoons of salt

A 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons of dried basil

2 tablespoons of dried oregano

2 tablespoons of dried parsley

1/2 cup of canola oil

1 pound of Cavatelli pasta

1 pound of smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1/2 cup of fresh basil, chopped

2 cups of homemade breadcrumbs (I’ve included the recipe below)

Directions: Take the cut eggplant and put in a strainer and toss with 2 tablespoons of salt and let sit for 30 minutes.

While the eggplant is sitting we can make the simple tomato sauce. Combine the can of diced tomatoes (including the liquid in the can) through the dried parsley from the above list in a pot. Set the temperature to medium heat until the sauce begins to boil. Once boiling set the temperature down to simmer and cover. Cook the sauce for 30 minutes which will thicken the sauce. Stir occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook the Cavatelli pasta according to package instructions. When draining the pasta save one cup of the pasta water and set aside.

To cook the eggplant, heat the 1/2 cup of canola oil over medium heat in either a wok or a large pan. Once the oil has heated up add the eggplant and cook until it is slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Be careful that you do not crowd the pan so this may have to be done in two separate batches.

Next combine the cooked eggplant, Cavatelli pasta, tomato sauce, smoked mozzarella and basil in a large bowl. Stir to combine all ingredients. Add the cup of saved pasta water and stir again. Next take the pasta mixture and spoon it into an oven safe dish. Sprinkle the homemade breadcrumbs over the top of the pasta mixture. Cover with tin foil and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. After cooking for 30 minutes take the tin foil off and cook for an additional 10 minutes until the breadcrumbs are browned. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve.

Homemade Breadcrumbs:

To make homemade breadcrumbs take a loaf of ciabatta bread that is two or three days old and remove the crust. Place the now crustless bread into a food processor and pulse until it is nicely crumbled. Store in an airtight container and it can last for up to two months.

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This is a recipe I made recently for roasted chicken with roasted vegetables. I used chicken thighs and the skin came out nice and crispy and chicken very tender. When the radishes are roasted they lost their bitter taste that they sometimes have when eaten raw in a salad. I used white wine in my recipe below but you could use chicken broth instead if you prefer. Also if you want to subtract or add any vegetables feel free do to so.

Ingredients:

4-5 pounds of chicken thighs

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon, halved

1 pound of small potatoes, fingerling or red bliss

2 bunches of radishes, halved (At the grocery store they have a bag of radishes with the green stems cut off and this saves some time in preparation if you can find it)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Rinse the chicken thighs and pat dry. Next remove some of the fat from the chicken thighs as there can be quite a lot (I used a pair of kitchen scissors but you can use a sharp knife).

Place the chicken thighs in a roasting pan skin side up (if you roasting pan has a rack in, please remove it so that the chick will rest directly on the bottom of the pan). Drizzle half the olive oil over the pieces of chicken. Take the 3 tablespoons of poultry seasoning and rub over the top and bottom of the chicken. Also if you are able to try and rub some poultry seasoning under the skin of the chicken. Be careful not to pull the skin completely off the chicken thigh. By doing this it will make sure that the seasoning gets to both sides of the meat of the chicken. Just placing the seasoning on the skin it will not flavor the meat directly underneath the skin as the skin does not allow for the seasoning to go through it. Finally squeeze half of the lemon over the chicken thighs. Put the chicken thighs in the preheated oven for 15 minutes uncovered.

While the chicken is cooking cut up all the vegetables. Put the vegetables into a bowl squeeze the other half of the lemon over the vegetables and add the 3 tablespoons of Italian seasoning. Mix the vegetables so that lemon juice and seasoning is evenly dispersed. When the 15 minutes are done pull out the chicken and add the vegetables to the roasting pan. Next add the 3-4 cups of white wine. The wine should just almost cover the chicken thighs in the roasting pan. Cover and place the roasting pan back in the oven. Cook for 25-40 minutes.

Ovens differ on cooking time so after 25 minutes take out the pan and test the chicken and the vegetables. Depending on how done the chicken and vegetables are you may need to place it back in the oven for up to an additional 15 minutes.

After the chicken and vegetables have finished cooking. Take the chopped dill and sprinkle it over the top of the chicken and vegetables. Serve immediately. I like to serve one piece of chicken thigh with the vegetables over the chicken. Make sure you get some of the sauce that is in the bottom of the pan as well.

I also like to enjoy a glass of wine from the same bottle I used to add to the chicken and vegetables. It helps to bring out the flavor in the food and also the wine.